YEAR OF THE FAMILY

Living the Liturgical Year

Celebrating Saints and Feasts to Enrich Hearts and Homes

HOLY WEEK – April 14th – April 20th   EASTER. RESSURECTION SUNDAY.
 

Yes, it is actually the 21st (i.e. next week) but the last 40 days and all of Holy week are a preparation for Easter – so get ready to celebrate with the utmost effort joy and vigor! This is the greatest day of celebration in the Church’s  Liturgical Year! Take advantage of the liturgical celebrations and services this week to complete your preparation for celebration! And then celebrate like never before!!

 
CELEBRATION IDEAS:

• Attend the Easter Vigil Mass – attending this Mass unites us with our ancestors in faith who through the centuries spent the entire night in vigil in anticipation of the Mass of Resurrection at Dawn. It doesn’t last that long anymore and the Mass counts as your obligation for Easter, but there is a solemnness about this Mass that is unique from all others. Anyway, above all ATTEND Mass – it’s your obligation.
• Wear your best outfit to Mass - consider purchasing a new and fancy outfit for Mass – this is a very traditional thing to do – the new clothes represent our rebirth/new life in Jesus.
• Decorate hard boiled eggs with bright vibrant colors to brighten your home. The eggs symbolize the new life we all have in Jesus. Consider an Easter egg hunt for young and old alike.
• Traditionally, ham is served at Easter for the main meal – this is because when the pigs were slaughtered in the fall/winter and the meat was put in the smokehouse to cure it was finished curing around Easter and was ready to eat. Alternatively, you could serve lamb (roast, leg, crown rack, chops, etc.) as a connection to our Jewish roots and the Seder Meal commemorating the Passover which effected the exodus from Egypt.
• Hot Cross Buns are a traditional treat to serve at Easter – either with the main meal or with coffee after Mass or several times throughout the day. These buns are flavored with spices which represent the aromatics used to anoint Jesus body for burial, the juicy raisins/fruit are the bursts of Joy we experience at the surprise and excitement of the resurrection, while the sugary sweet cross on top reminds us of how Jesus turned the pain and sorrow of suffering into sweet joy for all who believe. Find an easy recipe here: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/easy-hot-cross-buns-recipe

 
REMINDER: DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY is April 28th. A plenary indulgence is granted to all those who comply with the conditionals established and a partial indulgence for those who incompletely fulfill the conditions. The Novena for Divine Mercy Sunday begins on Good Friday April 19th.

 
 5th WEEK OF LENT – April 7th – April 13th 

       St Gemma Galgani (1878-1903, April 11th) Virgin. St. Gemma lived a life of reparation for the sins of men. Born near Lucca, Italy, Gemma was orphaned at 19. She took care of her seven younger siblings and performed works of charity for the poor. When she contracted meningitis, during which she lost her hearing and the use of her limbs, she was cheerful and welcoming to all her visitors. St. Gemma developed a devotion to St. Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows (a Passionist.) He appeared to her and told her to make her religious vows though she would not enter a convent. Later, through his and St Margaret Mary Alacoque’s intercession, Gemma was cured. St. Gemma was assaulted by the devil and often scorned by those who did not understand her piety. However, she was favoured with consolations and visits from Our Lord and His Mother, and she often saw her Guardian Angel. In 1899, Gemma received the Stigmata, the wounds of Our Lord which would appear every Thursday and remain until Saturday morning. She longed to become a Passionist nun but was refused entry because of her poor health, however, she predicted that she would be received by the Passionists after her death. St. Gemma died of tuberculosis on Holy Saturday at the age of 25. Her remains can be found at the Passionist Monastery in Lucca Italy which was built 2 years after her death.
        St. Gemma Galgani was beatified on May 14, 1933 by Pope Pius XI and canonized on May 2, 1940, only 37 years after her death, by Pope Pius XII. She is the patron saint against temptations, against the death of parents, against tuberculosis, of students and of pharmacists.

Recipe:

Spinach Alfredo Lasagna
•        whole wheat lasagna noodles
•        1 lb ground turkey or chicken
•        1 jar alfredo sauce
•        1 15 oz container ricotta cheese
•        1 box frozen chopped spinach - thawed
•        1 jar roasted red bell peppers - drained and chopped
•        shredded mozzarella cheese
•        grated parmesan cheese
 

1. Boil the lasagna noodles until tender. While they cook brown the meat, and mix the spinach and peppers with the ricotta cheese. Drain the noodles.
 
2. Spread a little alfredo sauce on the bottom of a baking dish. This helps prevent sticking. Reserve some alfredo for the top layer. Mix the rest of the alfredo sauce with the meat. Put down a layer of noodles, a layer of meat, a layer of mozzarella, and then a layer of the ricotta mixture, repeat. (the order really isn't terribly important, so don't worry about it too much!) Finish with a top layer of noodles covered with alfredo, mozzarella, and some parmesan cheese
 
3. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour. Enjoy (serve with crusty bread)!  
 
ST. GEMMA GALGANI'S PRAYER:   O my crucified God, behold me at Thy feet; do not cast me out, now that I appear before Thee as a sinner. I have offended Thee exceedingly in the past, my Jesus, but it shall be so no longer. Before You, O Lord, I place all my sins; I have now considered Thy own sufferings and see how great is the worth of that Precious Blood that flows from Thy veins. O my God, at this hour close Thine eyes to my want of merit, and since Thou hast been pleased to die for my sins, grant me forgiveness for them all, that I may no longer feel the burden of my sins, for this burden, Dear Jesus, oppresses me beyond measure. Assist me, my Jesus, for I desire to become good whatsoever it may cost; take away, destroy, utterly root out all that Thou find in me contrary to Thy holy will. At the same time, I pray Thee, Lord Jesus, to enlighten me that I may be able to walk in Thy holy light. Amen

4^th WEEK OF LENT – MARCH 31^st – April 6^th  St Isidore of Seville (c.560-636, April 4th) Bishop, Doctor of the Church.
 

     St. Isidore seems to have been raised up by God to make Spain a center of Catholic faith and extensive culture during the Barbarous times often referred to as “the Dark Ages.” At a time of disintegration of classical culture, and aristocratic violence and illiteracy, he was involved in the conversion of the Arian Visigothic kings to Catholicism effectively and practically eradicating the heresy of Arianism, which had a profound effect on Spain both spiritually and temporally. One of his principal interests was in education and he is often called the “Schoolmaster of the Middle Ages.” He founded a school in every diocese, compiled an encyclopedia of knowledge of his times and wrote works of history, science and theology. Some consider him to be the most learned man of his age and is widely regarded as the last of the Church Fathers. In 1997 Pope John Paul II declared him the patron saint of the Internet. The Order of St. Isidore of Seville is a chivalric order formed on January 1, 2000. An international organization, the order aims to honour Saint Isidore as patron saint of the Internet, alongside promoting Christian chivalry online. Members, who may be men or women, receive a modern-day knighthood. Check it out on-line and become a member - http://www.st-isidore.org/membership.htm

 
RECIPE:  SPANSH PAELLA
INGREDIENTS:
•18 cherrystone clams in shell
•1 frying chicken (2-1/2 pounds), cut up (optional for Lent)
•seasoned flour (salt and pepper added) (omit if chicken omitted)
•4 Tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
•1 cup raw regular rice
•1/2 to 1 teaspoon thread saffron
•1/2 teaspoon salt
•few grains pepper
•1 can (10-1/2 ounces) chicken bouillon
•4-1/2 cups water
•2 large green peppers, diced
•4 medium onions, chopped
•3 large garlic cloves, slashed (skewer on wooden picks)
•3 to 4 Tablespoons bacon drippings or vegetable oil
•1-1/2 cups cooked green peas
•1 can (1 pound) chick peas
•2 pounds shrimp, cooked and cleaned
 
 
DIRECTIONS:

Soak clams in ice cold salted water 1 hour. Scrub shells with stiff brush; rinse under cold running water. Chill until used. Dredge chicken with seasoned flour; brown on all sides in half the oil; add 1/2 cup water; cover; simmer 20 minutes; remove from heat. Heat remaining 2 Tablespoons oil in another skillet; add raw rice, saffron, salt, and pepper. Cook over low heat until rice is transparent. Combine bouillon, and remaining water; add 1 cup at a time to rice; stir frequently; add next cup water when former is absorbed. Continue cooking until rice is just tender. Cook green peppers, onions, and garlic until golden brown and tender in bacon drippings or oil. Remove garlic. Combine rice, onion mixture, green peas, chick peas, shrimp, clams, and chicken in large casserole. Leave a few clams on top. Bake at 325° for 15 to 20 minutes or until clams have opened and mixture is hot. (This recipe is an American adaptation, and the last stage requires a large casserole dish.)  

RECOMMENDED READING: Church and Internet  Pontifical Council for Social Communications. The Church and the Internet addresses the particular question of how the Catholic Church can make use of the new medium. Again urging caution, and commenting on the need to bring all of the world's people into an active participation in the digital exchange, this Vatican document lays heavy emphasis on the virtue of creativity. Find it by searching “The Church and the Internet” on Google – it will be the first one that comes up (this is a Vatican document.)